<<< VOTING CLOSED EASTER SUNDAY, MARCH 31 >>>

Beginning April 2, we'll cut the field of 64 South Sound sandwiches to the Sliced 16. April 4, it'll drop to the Grilled Eight. On April 8, we'll announce the winner of Weekly Volcano's Tournament of Sandwiches - picked by you, of course - at Masa in Tacoma during halftime of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. On that Monday, we'll cut the online voting at 5 p.m. and take the vote live at Masa, handing out ballots while you pound margaritas.

That's all fine and dandy, but it's Easter and you don't have time for idle chitchat. You need to vote so you can fill your basket with eggs. OK, OK, here are yesterday's results and today's sandwich matchups. Thanks for voting!

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Philly Cheesesteak (Ricky J's Restaurant, 6805 176^th St. E., Puyallup) vs. Big Tacoma (Pacific Coffee House & Deli, 1201 Pacific Ave., Tacoma)

Pacific Coffee House grabbed the lead early in this game and never looked back, nabbing 83 percent of the votes when all was said and done. Some believe naming its sandwich after the largest city in the South Sound may have swung the vote in the downtown Tacoma coffee shop's favor. Others think it's an awesome sandwich. Anyway, the Big Tacoma moves onto the Sliced 16.

Game 2: Tempeh Reuben (Darby's Café, 211 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia) vs. Beet & Blue (1022 South, 1022 S. J St., Tacoma)

Darby's Café and 1022 South have received national attention. Darby's scored a spot on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. 1022 South has been featured in many publications, including the New York Times. Both are successful businesses, but yesterday Darby's Café had that little extra something to edge out the Hilltop Tacoma cocktail lounge by grabbing 54 percent of the votes.

Game 3: The Comanche (Rock The Dock Pub & Grill, 535 Dock St., Tacoma) vs. Mom's Sloppy Joe (Crockett's Public House, 118 E. Stewart Ave., Puyallup)

Holy crap! Turnout for this contest was like the turnout at a dunk-the-banker booth at the Taste of Tacoma! Both sandwich makers Rock The Rock and Crockett's did their darndest to mobilize their base, and though Rock The Dock ran out to an early lead, Crockett's Mom's Sloppy Joe had an amazing, jaw-dropping late afternoon push that had the stamina to carry through the evening and snatch victory from the Thea Foss Waterway joint with a 40 more votes. Unbelievable. Crockett's moves on to the Sliced 16.

Game 4: Lamb Beef Gyro (Legendz, 1201 S. Sprague Ave., Tacoma) vs. Italian Sub (Meconi's Italian Subs, 5225 Lacey Blvd. SE, Lacey)

Yesterday at 4 p.m. Legendz and Meconi's were dead even. Over at Legendz, a steady stream of cars pulled up to the burger stand on Sprague. Over at Meconi's, people enjoyed its famous Italian Sub in the new, larger environs. Then, Bam! Who knows if it was the excitement of a fourth Meconi's opening in Hawks Prairie or what, but the Italian Sub pulled away to finally grab 62 percent of the votes before the polls closed. That's the power of multiple locations folks.

Stick a toothpick in them! The following are advancing to the next round:

• Pacific Coffee House & Deli's Big Tacoma
• Darby's Café's Tempeh Reuben
• Crockett's Public House's Mom's Sloppy Joe
• Mecon's Italian Subs' Italian Sub

>>> The daily sandwich battles here on Spew are sponsored by Subway in Orting, Puyallup, Tacoma, Spanaway and Lakewood.

OK, let's check out today's Second Round sandwich battles. Vote for one sandwich joint per battle. Voting for today's sandwich battles ends at 11:45 p.m.